WHAT'S A KAGOOL?

DEFINITION OF KAGOOL

Pronunciation: kəˈɡuːl

NounA Kagool (also Cagoule) is the British English term for a lightweight, weatherproof raincoat or anorak with a hood. Chuck in a ‘The’ and an ‘s’ and it’s also the name of a silent, physical comedy act from the UK.

ABOUT THE KAGOOLS

The Kagools are a multi award-winning physical comedy duo from the UK. Since their first full-length show in 2014, they’ve quickly gained fans far and wide with their unique brand of wordless (but far from silent) spontaneous, anarchic buffoonery.

An equally sought-after headline act both at home and overseas, their critically acclaimed shows have toured extensively,
with recent international appearances including Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.

Incredibly versatile, they delight everyone from raucous late night crowds to daytime family festivals.

TUTTI

The Kagools second full-length show, Tutti, premiered at Edinburgh Fringe 2016.
A natural development from the first show but with bigger tricks, higher flicks and a unicorn.
Tutti also toured Australia and the UK in 2017.

KULA

The Kagools are to premiere their new show, Kula, at Adelaide Fringe in March 2018. Watch this space.

‘WHO’S UNDER THE HOODS’

WILKINSON

Nicky Wilkinson is an actress, comedian and voice-over artist. She obtained an MA in Acting from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, a (incredibly useful) degree in Contemporary Dance and Theatre from De Montfort University and a lesson in life from the tenfoots* of Hull.

Nicky has always had a funny face and her Mum has always told her so, so it was no surprise when she made her first forays into stand-up comedy as a resident compere at the award-winning Funny Side Comedy clubs. She reached the finals of prestigious comedy competitions, So You Think You’re Funny and New Act of The Year in 2013 and is now gigging all over the country as an act in her own right. 'Effortless likeability and excellent comic timing' (Chortle.co.uk).

Nicky is also an accomplished MC, bright and quick-witted with a warm, likeable, down-to-earth style, which instantly puts audiences at ease; as ready and eager to laugh as they would be sharing a great joke with a friend down the pub, which is where you’ll find Nicky when she’s not on stage.

Always having had a passion for comedy and a flair for comic roles, over the years she has been involved in sketch and improvisational comedy, alongside a vast array of more traditional acting roles. Nicky is as comfortable on screen and radio as she is on stage, performing a range of characters from Cheryl, South London Minicab Driver, to Mistress Quickly (the wench) in Shakespeare’s, A Comedy Of Errors.

Nicky hosts #NickysHappyHour on Twitter & Facebook. She took a live version of The Happy Hour to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015 and is set to develop the format further.

*A tenfoot is a term used in Hull for an alleyway that is ten foot wide and is where Nicky developed her passion for climbing trees and chasing boys with shitty sticks in the hope of a snog. Nicky is still single.

FORD

Claire Ford is an actress, filmmaker, character comedian and raffle winner.
When she was 16 her Dad told her she was overeducated and needed to stop now and get an actual job.
So she did, and joined him in his cardboard box warehouse.
She lasted a full 18 months, which was impressive considering she roller skated round the office and played the cling film toilet trick on the Procter & Gamble clients. After she left, she defyingly went back to school and overeducated herself to a ridiculous level. Her first degree was in TV Production at Bournemouth Media School, but one money-draining degree just wasn't enough. She went on to train as an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and also in Paris with clown master Philippe Gaulier. Years later she wrote a comedy show about her time in the office, tenderly naming it Box.

Alongside appearing in a range of scripted comedy roles, she's also created her own multi-character comedy series,
Finding Fanny,
which isn't about any navel-gazing quest, but more about an early feminist aptly named Fanny.
Claire Tweets and posts videos as ‘relationship guru and love healer’,
Dr Lara Love and several of her other characters have made
appearances online, most notably Terri Skyler, a wannabe celebrity and WAG.
Her web series CelebriTerri, caught the attention of BBC producers, who cast Terri in their TV comedy pilot, Fat Pipes. That put paid to that commission.

As a filmmaker and presenter, Claire was asked to make behind the scenes documentary
series The Awards Diaries for the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
She loved it and continues to make factual work on commission, though she'd be grateful if people stopped asking her to film their
wedding/conference/kid in a musical staging of the Crimean war. She really just wants to make comedy and she's got a great idea for a sketch about cling film.